Posted on 03/24/2005 3:25:36 AM PST by billorites
Every weekday morning, listeners across the country tune in to radio host Don Imus to hear his trademark rants about politics, Hollywood, sports and Iraq.
Mr. Imus and his wife, Deirdre, opened the 4,000-acre ranch, nestled in the mesa country of northern New Mexico, in 1999 to help sick children. Its stated mission is to give "children with severe illnesses an opportunity to experience the life of an American cowboy."
The ranch has also burnished Mr. Imus's image. With his signature scowl, gruff voice, 10-gallon hats and tendency to refer to some public figures as "creeps," "thugs" and "fascists," Mr. Imus, 64 years old, has built a top-10 national radio show with 3.25 million listeners a week. It is also simulcast on MSNBC television. The ranch has helped shine a spotlight on his softer side, transforming Mr. Imus and his wife into two of the country's best-known philanthropists. They've donated more than $1 million to the ranch over the past four years and raised $20 million for its start-up and operations. Celebrity donors, including TV-news star Barbara Walters, former New York Stock Exchange Chief Richard Grasso and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, receive praise on Mr. Imus's show.
Yet the charity's large budget, and the Imus family's personal stays at the ranch, are drawing scrutiny from tax officials and regulators. The ranch's expenses totaled $2.6 million last year, while it hosted only about 100 kids -- an unusually high dollar-to-child ratio, charity experts say. The Imus family stays at the ranch all summer with the children, but they also visit for weeks at a time during holidays as well as dropping in for occasional weekends, Mr. Imus says...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
260,000
oops my bad. I was thinking 26 mil for some reason
"thanks I-man, I'm made of sterner stuff now after a week at your ranch eating tofu turkey, maybe my cancer was in my mind after all. I might have preferred a year's college tuition though."
sw
I think it's funny that Imus is now the target of the vitriol that he dishes out to everyone else. I bet if that was the Dick Cheney ranch he wouldn't be so 'charitable'.
I understand she is a zealot about diet - especially the diet of sick kids.
Wait a minute! He's one of Dick Cheney's biggest fans now that he got to do the Inaugural Day interview with he and Lynn.
I think Imus has been well-intentioned in founding and running the ranch.
However, that doesn't mean he hasn't been sloppy. The article reports that he failed to file returns. Also, it sounds as if he should have reimbursed the ranch for family stays, and was unaware of the obligation.
I also don't buy his statement that he doesn't need the ranch for a vacation spot since he has a $30 million mansion in Connecticut. Obviously there are huge differences between the two locales. Do rich people in CT not go on vacation because they prefer to stay at home? Of course not.
I predict that Imus will make some big gesture to clear up any cloud over the operation, perhaps making a multi-million dollar donation out of his own pocket.
I don't question that he does good for the kids, but he is inviting scrutiny with his over the top publicity he gives it on his show and then getting Architectural Digest to shoot his quarters.
Maybe he could get Katie Curic to make a big donation. He always speaks kindly of her. /s
Actually if $800,000 is of the $2,600,000 is for depreciation, that would work out to be $17,000 a week for the yearly total of 100 kids. In addition, the Imus Ranch pays for all the travel expenses of the kids. Since some come from foreign shores, this doesn't appear to be exorbitant.
I sometimes get bored with all of Don's talk about the ranch on his show. However, there is no doubt that it is his all consuming passion.
This reminds me of seven or eight years ago when the I-Man bombed, big-time, at the Correspondents Dinner in DC. He spent the next week trying to rebuild his image. George Stephanopolous, who is on now, was one of the few folks who stood by Imus initially.
BTW, George just remined Imus that by not sending reporters to the scene of something-or-other is what got Hal Raines and the NYT in trouble years ago.
The salary he's making, he could pay for the ranch with his credit card.
His wife is also a Republican and a Bush supporter. Did you know that?
-------------------------------------------
Exactly. The hole here though is that he did not pay for the building of the ranch. Corporate and HNWI donations did. The cost per child is on-going, until such time as Imus decides to stop or limit the activity. The multi-millions to build the ranch (to a level of quality that earned an article in AD) came not from Imus' pocket but it is he and his wife who own it and will benefit for the rest of their lives from it.
He's doing some good, no doubt but the benefit to him personally is significant and indisputable. One wonders what cancer research could have been funded with the millions used to build the ranch.
Actually if $800,000 is of the $2,600,000 is for depreciation, that would work out to be $17,000 a week for the yearly total of 100 kids. In addition, the Imus Ranch pays for all the travel expenses of the kids. Since some come from foreign shores, this doesn't appear to be exorbitant.
I agree. And I also welcome everyone who thinks they can do it better & cheaper, or just as good and for the same amount of money, to jump in & do it.
". The man can afford to build a huge ranch and live like Heinz Kerry's. He doesn't need to set up any phony charity."
- I seem to recall basically the same argument used to defend Martha Stewart when she tried to save about $50,000. bucks in a stock sale. With these people, it isn't always the money, it's just the idea that they can do it which attracts them.
As for Imus's claim that most of the expense "was just depreciation on the buildings", I believe that depreciation rates on wooden buildings (I don't think they'd have brick and steel ones on a ranch) is about 10% per year. Even if the buildings were constructed new in 2003, this would put their cost at something in excess of $20 million dollars in order to get a depreciation expense of $2 million.
Pretty high for a bunk house and barn.
If is $26,000 or $17,000 per child per week; it still sounds fishy.
The camp only hosted 100 children last year. They take 10 kids at a time for a one week session.
So that means the camp was only used for 'helping' sick children only 10 weeks out of 52 weeks a year.
What was the ranch used for during the remainder 42 weeks and was the Imus family hosted their during that period?
I got no gripe about private donations. If people feel they aren't getting their "money's worth" they'll stop donating. The issue of public money may be different but I think but the metrics about how much "good" is being delivered needs to be well established and I'm not so sure it is.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.